The success in Qualcomm’s bottom line results is undeniable. In its most recent quarter, Qualcomm delivered a 24% increase in revenue to $6.1 billion despite a 17% drop in income. It isn’t too alarming to see income fluctuate during the evolution of new technologies, so don’t spend too much time thinking about that 17% decrease in profits. From its popular Snapdragon processor to its Gobi LTE modems, Qualcomm has service providers covered from the top down.
A step above his peers
If Qualcomm’s outperformance on the earnings front isn’t enough to wow you, then perhaps its incredibly generous share repurchase and dividend policy, employee perks, and community giving will help change your mind.
As I noted last month, when I highlighted Qualcomm as a great dividend that you could buy right now, Qualcomm announced the replacement of a $4 billion share repurchase agreement, which still had about $2.5 billion left, with a $5 billion repurchase agreement with no expiration date! If that’s not enough to excite shareholders, perhaps a 21.5% annualized increase in its dividend over the decade (that’s more than 600% if you’re curious) will tickle your fancy.
Source: Nasdaq.com.
*Assumes quarterly payout of $0.35 for remainder of 2013 and 2014.
Qualcomm’s new yield of 2.2% puts it on par with some of the tech’s sectors most generous dividend payers and amounts to an easily sustainable payout ratio of just 31% for this year.
In terms of employee perks, it really just matters where in the world you’re based. For the sake of argument, I examined its U.S. operations and found a couple of perks to be particularly intriguing. Much like what I heard when I met with DreamWorks Animation Skg Inc (NASDAQ:DWA) CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg three months back, Paul Jacobs is a firm believer in keeping his workforce healthy. That’s why the office brings in locally owned farmer’s market foods once a week for employees to purchase. As you may have guessed, employees also receive a subsidy on their purchase of a wireless device that contains a Qualcomm chip. Finally, Qualcomm offers $5,250 toward qualifying tuition expenses for a bachelor’s degree and $10,125 for graduate or post-graduate degrees.
Jacobs also does a good job of instilling the ethos of giving with his employees and throughout the company. Qualcomm will match its employees and directors dollar-for-dollar in qualifying charitable contributions, up to $1,000 for employees and $5,000 for directors. Qualcomm also has a volunteer grant program that will donate up to $250 for employees who put in at least 15 hours with a qualify non-profit organization.
Two thumbs up
There are about a handful or reasons to be concerned about Qualcomm’s future and a mountain full of reasons Qualcomm is a leading wireless innovator that’s taking care of its employees, shareholders, and the communities that it operates in. With a rapidly growing dividend, and technology that appears so far ahead of its peers that it’ll maintain its LTE dominance for years to come, Paul Jacobs has certainly done a fantastic job of setting his company up for continued success. For that, I give Jacobs two well-deserved thumbs up.
The article This Is 1 Incredible CEO originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Qualcomm and recommends Apple, DreamWorks Animation, and NVIDIA.
Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
